The Matrix : Redifined
by Wordling
Summary: My view on the fourth movie in the trilogy : What happens if Zion really is in the matrix.
1. The sixth day : Dawn

The Matrix : Redifined Chapter 1 I don't own the setting or the universe. Wakowski Brothers do.  
If you recognize I probably don't own em. If you don't, I might.  
I just wanna play a little, that's all. 

5-3-05 Sorry about the writing delay.Sorry about the restart of the story.  
Hoping this time to be able do better. Will be redoing one chapter at a time until caught up.

Life: 3

Wordling: 3 

Next round takes the prize.

Wish me luck.  
-  
AP 1 - Day 6 (After peace)  
In the park in the city with the bench by the lake the sun rises now for the sixth time since Neo defeated Smith and this morning as with the previous five, it rises in shining glory in a clear blue sky unmarred by clouds and ringing with clarion colors that sing joy to be alive, Satai's gift of beauty is her tribute to Neo. She gives it freely to any and all who stop to appreciate it or at least watch. Satai's way of missing her friend Neo is to give to all the world the same kindness that she herself had been shown by her friend Neo. For the sixth day to, are the Oracle and the Architect sitting on the bench in the park watching Satai's glorious sun rise while talking about the efforts of the humans as Seraph watches over Satai as he has done since that fateful day.

"Do you think anyone at zion suspects ?" The architect asked one eye on the sky the other on her.

"No, they can't. Only Neo halfway knew, and even if he fully realizes he won't tell them because it could break them." Oracle replies thoughtfully, "Though trinity eventually will know even if she doesn't already. I worry about them and what they will do once they return to Zion. "

"I am limited though," The oracle continues after a moments pause, "in how clearly I can see what decisions they can and will make since not all the pieces are in place, let alone in play. We'll see though, that we surely will. Trinity is getting more and more impatient to see Neo. How long until all his scattered pieces are collected?"

"His pieces went far and wide during the fight, but, It is finally done and I was going to tell you this morning." The architect replied wondering how much of this she already knew.

"Good, then Trinity can begin to help him finish fully reassimilating himself." Oracle replied.

"The humans must be getting despondent without there savior." Was the gruff dismissive reply.

"No not despondent, More like unsure of themselves or what comes next. They have been through both shoes falling and still wait for the next even though they only have two feet. Remember to that war with us has given them there only real unity and drive for all of their lives. With that gone they will come to fight among themselves eventually."

"Will they still trust you now that they know more of what you are?" The architect asked as one would whether or not the cat likes its food - Curious but knowing the answer immaterial.

"Morpheus might though he will need convincing most likely." The oracle replied thoughtfully then smiled, "I need several sentinels sent to Zion"

"Looking to provide a war to keep your humans aligned with each other?" He asks grimly.

"No, not to provide a war. To provide a distracting peace with us to keep them from looking the gift horse of their survival to closely in the mouth"

"Your over use of the human metaphor is a sign of undue attachment." He replies.

"Maybe, but, we really don't have any of our so we have to use theirs"

"Of course not, what possible use could we have for metaphors. They do not materially aid in the fulfillment of our purpose." He replies without understanding.

"You are so single minded and straight forward that I sometimes wonder how you manage to deal with other programs at all, even if there purpose is the same as yours. I feel included in that problem most of the time I think." Oracle replies shaking her head.

"At least I know for sure what my job is. Are you so sure that you know yours"

"Of course, Peace, at least in the long run. In the mean time I need the remains of the logoss and the neberkenezer taken to the main dock in Zion. Also one of the sentinels will need to be equipped with a telephone." Oracle replied smiling.

"Return there ships lost fighting us. Provide a phone to talk to who?" He asked looking like the Oracle had a few bits loose here or there.

"Yes and to me, They need to be more organized. You have seen the same oddities I have. Someone is planning a major offensive on humans in general. I suspect who but have no way of proving it yet"

"The coordinator or his overactive unbalanced shell the merovingian most likely"

"Likely, thou can you think of an easier way to set us on the wrong track than to give us an enemy we expect?" oracle said back with that knowing smile.

"I am not one of your human pets or projects that needs to be"

"Well I guess some things do change. That counts as a reaction"

"I was not so much reacting as you so quaintly put it, but reminding"

"Very well, I am reminded." The oracle replies sounding humanly tired. "However I still need those sentinels sent along with the ships"

"How many? since we have a new peace we have plenty"

"One each for the survivors of the Neberkenezer, Hammer and the logoss. Plus one for morpheus with the phone. I also want to the ones used to haul the wrecks of the ships to be assigned to whoever morpheus says to assist in repair of their city."

A moment passes in utter silence before the architect speaks, then he does so incredulously. "You want sentinels assigned to former enemies as what? Pets?" He asks sounding both puzzled and suspicious, "Then more of them to help clean up Zion after playing delivery droid with the remains of their already destroyed ships." He asks puzzled and irritated.

"Lets just say that I see a way to keep them guessing and remind them of what they owe Neo & Trinity most of all and the crews of those ships only a slight bit less"

"So there is a way to keep them all together? and contained this time? And why so vague on your plans? Think I may object if I really knew what you were up to?" He asks intrigued.

"If you were one of my hopefuls I would offer you a cookie. Of course there is a way to keep them all together. If you can divide them you can unify them. You just have to never deny the fact that you are manipulating them and make sure that everyone knows and everything is fine. As long as they understand each decision then they can see everything and nobody will look at single thing in detail just the over all picture and make up their own sweet minds in complete ignorance despite knowing the truth"

"Here, " he says pulling out a business card holder from his jacket pocket and removing some cards, "Have seraph take these to the engineer. It will be done. Though won't Morpheus just use the sentinel with the phone as carrier relay to jack in? Then in order to balance this new equation of yours you intend to convince them not to look to closely at why they are alive in the first place? Isn't that just more of the same thing you do already"

"Of course, everyone admires a masters work, but, how many look at the details. We have our agenda, they have theirs and if you make sure that everyone already knows the truth then those who look close won't feel the need to tell anyone what they find because everyone will already know. Take for instance the numerous clues dropped by the merovingian about Neo's predocessors and not once did any of them connect the dots even afterwards, Even knowing they do not see. As for Morpheus using the sentinel to jack in, by doing that it will slow down there tendency to explore because they can resume a familiar action, The quest for minds to free, this time in comfort and safety. That should give you some more time to make some of the changes that you were meaning to do between the cycles this time." She replied with her smile that screams 'I am lying to you'. "So you want them all together?" He asks obviously aware of her lies just not knowing about what.

"Yes, and you need to remember that not all logic is forward"

"One and one are still two." He replies in obvious mantra.

"Yes that is true, however 'or' with 'positive voltage' is still equal to 'not and' with 'negative voltage.

"You mix human metaphor with machine logic, A poor combination." He replies with finality.

"I do what I must." She replies cryptically.

"I will bring them when he is ready. Be sure you are"

-- -- -- ZION

Four hours later in Zion at the door to Morpheus's quarters.

"Hold on a minute." Morpheus shouts at the insistent knocking.

"Took him longer to interrupt us than I thought it would Morpheus" Niobi said not bothering to get up from bed while Morpheus still hunted for clothing from the mess on the floor.

"Now Morpheus!" someone shouted from outside the outer door.

"Keep your pants on and let me find mine." Morpheus replied yelling and stumbling.

"You know you're kind of cute the when you can't walk, and can't talk both at the same time." Niobi said just to watch the mighty Morpheus fluster even more, "Try in the closet on the right in the drawer where you put them when laundry came in"

"Thanks." He replied glancing at Niobi who was just curling in deeper to the blankets.

A couple of very grumpy and noisy minutes later Morpheus opens the door to the pair of security people who to his major surprise don't even ask about the whereabouts of captain Niobi at all. Instead they just say to come with them. Questions are met with the odd reply that they are to take him to meet Locke and the council up at the top floor of the central tower of the housing section directly above the temple. Upon arrival Morpheus is greeted by the single oddest and most hilarious site he has ever seen in all of his years. A single sentinel hanging around which by itself was odd enough after the way they had all just left. This one though was playing keep away from the security people trying to cordon it off. To top off the oddity the sentinel has a telephone on it's side and that phone is ringing. The day is only complete though when the sentinel upon seeing Morpheus makes a beeline directly for him.


	2. Enter Trinity

  
The Matrix : Redefined Chapter 2  
  
I don't own the setting or the universe. Wakowski Brothers do.  
If you recognize I probably don't own em. If you don't, I might.  
I just wanna play a little, that's all.   
  
Sorry for the posting delay.  
I had this neat sounding just wonderful little conversation  
For Trinity and the Oracle all lined up and then the Oracle couldn't  
Make it to the restaurant and the phone call just got out of hand.  
Neither of them seemed interested in following my carefully layed out  
Outline of how the talk should go.  
  
-------  
  
AP 1 - Day 7 (After peace)  
  
Somewhere :  
  
Trinity sat in The chair at the table in The restaurant looking out The window  
At The view of the mountains.   
  
"'The' this, 'The' that." She found herself thinking almost out loud, "You are  
so losing it trinity, Just where do you think this is? Despite the feel of this  
place, It is still a part of the matrix."  
  
Seraph had been a godsend, "is that the right word?" she asked herself since her  
Miraculous rescue by the machines. He had explained that this place was setup for   
her to rest in while her body was repaired. For days now he been her only real companion   
here. The maitre'de was obviously a program as were most of the "PEOPLE" here.   
  
However she had gotten quite an education about the machines in general while watching   
the daily comings and goings of various programs. Not in the variety, But in the almost human   
like quality of them. Many in fact if she didn't know Better she would sworn had come just to see   
her, the chosen mate of "The One.".  
  
However over the last few days she had seen a shift in the way they talked. At  
first they all seemed to be here on the way somewhere else. Now some of the  
programs seemed to be trading ideas and information. Once she had been  
Asked about the trainman and that discussion had lasted all day. The desire of   
The programs wanting to know about the world of the matrix had been something of  
A surprise to her. The desire of her perspective on it was surprising enough though   
To see genuine curiosity expressed by what was obviously Just a program  
disturbed her. Curiosity implied awareness and awareness implied self awareness, And   
self awareness was a lot of what held man apart from the animals, Let alone the machines.   
  
A most amusing site broke her out of her reverie. One of the waiters was working  
His way through the tables toward her bearing a silver tray with a ringing  
Cell phone on it. He stopped at her table and set down the tray and indicated   
it was for her.  
  
"For me? " She asked pointing to the phone.  
  
"Yes." He answered in a soft unidentifiable vaguely English accent.  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"I don't know, the caller I.D. is blocked."  
  
"Then how do you know it's for me."  
  
"It is your phone, The manager brought it to me and said to take it to you."  
  
"Mine.?"  
  
"Yes ma'am, look on the back and you will see your name on it."  
  
She picked up the phone without answering it and looked on the back.   
Sure enough it was the same phone she always carried when she was on   
A mission. Right down to the scratches from the number of times that it  
Had been dropped. A nice touch that helped reaffirm that she was in  
The matrix somewhere while the machines were apparently doing something  
With her body. According to seraph they were healing it. All the conjecture  
Did not how ever, answer the question of who was calling her here where ever  
Here was, or how they had gotten the number. And most of all did nothing to  
Answer the phone that was still ringing.  
  
"Hello." She said answering it as the waiter walked away his duty done.  
  
"Please hold" she heard Seraph's voice on the phone.  
  
"How are you doing dear." She heard a moment later.  
  
"Oracle?"  
  
"Righto dearie. I bet you sure are confused about now aren't you?"  
  
"Where's Neo?"  
  
"He's right where he went to. Hasn't moved a muscle."  
  
"Where is that?" Trinity asked trying to sound business like.  
  
"Only a short distance from you. In the real world that is."  
  
"Bullshit, Plugs or no plugs this place is not real at all."  
  
"Then you do know! I told him you would."  
  
"Told who?"  
  
"The one that Neo went to see. The architect, The designer and implementer of  
the matrix as most know it."  
  
"And for the rest of us?"  
  
"Necessary, a way to in the architects cold words to 'Balance the unbalanced.'"  
  
"The unbalanced?"   
  
"Yes, for better or worse the architect uses equations that represent the way  
humans behave as a group. Of course there are some who fall outside his   
carefully calculated parameters. Those who reject the reality so convincingly  
fed to them, and upon faith alone proceed and eventually find a way out. This is  
what I was brought in for, To find a way to deal with those who don't accept the  
world as it is given to them. I first came across the idea of the one ironically  
while studying human history looking for the reasons behind these anomalies."  
  
"You made the legend of the one?" Trinity asked in little more than a whisper.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then it's all false, there is no 'ONE'."  
  
"That's the beauty of it," She replied her voice smiling, "there is now."  
  
"You mean he became the one because he expected to become the one?"  
  
"Almost, It's more like he became the one because someone had to. He felt responsible   
for so much loss and heart ache during the rescue of Morpheus that while he expected   
to die after getting shot, he did not expect to hear your voice after it. That is  
when he realized part of the truth and chose to accept the burden because he couldnt  
bear to lose you."  
  
"Then, he became the one. . . For me?"  
  
"Yes, there was no other way for him to save you in the long run."  
  
"So that means you also made Zion."  
  
"No, I just made a possibility. They chose where to go and what to do with it."  
  
"Then the one is for us what the founder of Zion is to matrix."  
  
"Told him you would figure it out." The oracle replied pleased.  
  
"Then Zion is just a way for those who see the truth to vent there frustration  
while doing no lasting harm and the war with the sentinels is just to keep them  
from looking to closely at a world so much like the one they just left.?"  
  
"So much more efficient than just destroying them."  
  
"Why? . . . No don't tell me, the active minds in Zion produce more power than  
the still plugged in minds in the matrix. So you get more bio power from those  
in Zion so it makes sense to fight them, since all it takes is a little power  
and then you get more back out than you put in."  
  
"That was the scale tipper."  
  
"So why the late twentieth century model?"  
  
"Well that was the world that led directly to our kind."  
  
"And you can also hide the agents actions behind the random violence of  
the times and not leave any sign at all, Anyone who does manage to spot  
the pattern is brought to the attention of a ship from Zion to get them out of  
the way and still be able to tap the extra power of that that kind of mind.  
  
"Efficient," The oracle replied, "Don't you think?"  
  
"Where's Neo?"  
  
"Don't worry yourself to much. He's collecting himself."  
  
"Collecting himself?" Trinity asked puzzled.  
  
"Yes, he was very scattered at the end. I am assured that he will join you  
very soon. Tomorrow perhaps I am told, Though this afternoon is a possibility."  
  
"I need to talk to Morpheus. He must be worried sick by now."  
  
"When we hang up wait a moment then try dialing out. I will arrange an operator  
and try to arrange a call to Morpheus. Though that may take sometime.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Your welcome trinity, Why don't you jut sit back and enjoy a cookie or two.  
I gave the chef the recipe and he made the batch on it's way just for you."  
  
"Trinity hung up as she spotted the same waiter making his back by the same  
path carrying an extra large tray of cookies directly to her. She looked  
around but seraph was no where to be seen. Taking a couple of cookies she  
slowly made her way out to the balcony to get a virtual breath of fresh virtual  
air to clear her now so overloaded head.  
  
Zion :  
  
Morpheus had just stood there as the sentinel had come right up to him. With  
No weapons in evidence and an old phone on it's side that was ringing it had  
Made for the most ridiculous looking attack device he had ever imagined. With  
Every gun on the landing trained on it, it had slowly advanced toward Morpheus  
who held his ground until the phone was within his reach then the sentinel had  
Settled to the ground and just sat there with the phone ringing.  
  
When Morpheus finally answered it the voice on the other end was that of seraph.  
He told Morpheus that the machine was for use as a way to communicate with those  
Still in the Matrix and to expect several phone calls in the near future. Then  
he had hung up leaving Morpheus with a phone in his hand bleating that "if he  
wanted to make a call he should hang up and try the number again."  
  
As he stepped away from the immobile machine the phone rang and he picked it up  
more out of reflex than anything else. The voice this time was that of the  
Merovingian telling him that he would not soon forget or forgive what had been  
done to him in his own club so he Morpheus should be careful.  
  
When the phone rang again the next day Morpheus was once again chosen to answer it.   
The voice he heard this time was much more welcome than anyone else he could have   
imagined calling.  
  



	3. Faith and trust

The Matrix : Redefined Chapter 2  
  
I don't own the setting or the universe. Wakowski Brothers do.  
If you recognize I probably don't own em. If you don't, I might.  
I just wanna play a little, that's all.   
  
AP 1 - Day 7 (After peace)  
  
Zion :  
  
"Hello Morpheus" And his world skipped a beat. Morpheus, the man who had spent  
his life finding the one, Recruiting the one, Teaching the one, and finally  
helping the one end the war was left with almost no words.  
  
"How are you trinity?" He asked avoiding the question he really wanted to ask.  
  
"I'm fine, Neo will be joining me soon, then we will be on our way to you. That  
is not why I called though, Bane was not a traitor, he was somehow infected by  
smith and driven apparently insane. I know how that sounds, but it happened you  
have to trust me on this. Somehow smith got past our firewalls and did something  
to Bane, I don't know what. So you have to check everyone who has been to the  
matrix since we rescued you, check for any of the irregularities that we found  
in Bane's or Neo's brainwaves. Do it Morpheus, Do it now before it's to late."  
  
"How could he?"  
  
"I don't know Morpheus, but you've got to believe me, He did it. And he nearly   
killed Neo after trying to sabotage the ship."  
  
"O.K. trinity, we will start the scans with me. Then the rest somehow."  
  
"One more thing Morpheus," Trinity continued, "There are sentinels coming. Don't  
panic though, They are bringing the remains of the neber and the logoss. If  
you need to reach me just pick up the phone and an operator will answer. It's  
The same system we use, Seraph said they copied what we do. They thought it  
would be the easiest to for us to use. Just say who you need to talk to and the  
operator will connect you to them."  
  
"OK, but how much longer will you and Neo be gone?" He asked concerned.  
  
"I don't know, That will depend on how Neo does. The machines had a hard enough  
time saving me. I thought I was dead, but they were able to bring me back."  
  
"I'm glad they did trinity, I'm really glad they did. If we had a ship that flew I   
would go up to broadcast depth and join you."  
  
"No Morpheus, launching a ship right now would not be a good idea. However, I  
will call you back." She said hanging up abruptly.  
  
While Morpheus went to see about the scans and to report to the council, Trinity  
Motioned to a waiter and asked if seraph was somewhere nearby. It took only a  
Few minutes and he joined her at her table."  
  
"You asked to see me." He said in his usual business first seriousness.  
  
"Yes seraph. I need to ask the oracle if the sentinel in zion can rebroadcast  
a signal so that Morpheus or others could come here and visit with Neo and I?"  
  
"I believe so, However I will have to check with the oracle. I will return   
very shortly with an answer."  
  
She watched him go and felt somehow lonely in spite of the crowd. Being the only  
Live real human being here left her with a wistful feeling made all the worse by  
the knowledge that this whole chateau was done simply to give her a place to  
convalesce in peace while they reassembled Neo into the requisite single piece.   
  
"it is done." Seraph's soft voice broke in on her reverie startling her badly.  
  
"What is done?" She heard herself asking before thinking.  
  
"The sentinel at the docks will rebroadcast their signal and then they can join  
you here for as long as you like. The Oracle had already thought of this and had  
made the arrangements so it could be done if you wished."  
  
"Thank you Seraph." She replied heart no longer racing quite as bad.  
  
"It is not a problem, Have a nice day." He replied with a slight smile and   
turned leaving her to her thoughts and reverie.  
  
Trinity sat for a few minutes thinking of what to say before turning back  
to the table, picking up the phone and calling morpheus back.  
  
"Operator," A friendly voice with a slight bronx accent greeted her.  
  
"Morpheus please."  
  
"No problem ma'am, one moment please."  
  
Trinity heard the phone ringing in the background several times before an   
unfamiliar voice answered.  
  
"Zion one, Upper docks."  
  
"Zion one, this is operator central. I have a call for Morpheus"  
  
"One moment central, ringing through now."  
  
Twenty rings later a slightly out of breath Morpheus answered.  
  
"Morpheus." He said quickly.  
  
"Call for you Mr. Morpheus, Trinity on the line."  
  
"Thank you operator." He said with his usual graveness.  
  
"Hello Morpheus," Trinity spoke quietly, "Thank you operator."  
  
"Your welcome miss trinity, Have a nice day."  
  
"Thank you for using central services, have a nice day." The voice of the  
sentinel from the upper docks broke in before disconnecting.  
  
"What is it?" He asked  
  
"Go ahead and broadcast your signal, the sentinel will rebroadcast it so  
you can join me here." She said without preamble.  
  
"Broadcast from here?"  
  
"Yes, Oracle said it is safe. You will be on your own hardware so you can just  
pull out any time you want to. When you leave the construct you will be here   
wherever this place is."  
  
"Are you sure about this?"  
  
"Yes, I want you here when Neo arrives. I think he will need the moral support.  
In fact I think you should bring anyone who wants to. I don't think this is part  
of the matrix itself."  
  
"Then what is it?"  
  
"Just a place they made for Neo and I to recover in."  
  
"I'll talk to some people, we'll see."  
  
"Thanks Morpheus. I'll be here."  
  
"Talk to you soon Trinity, hang in there."  
  
Morpheus waited a moment after hanging up then picked up the phone again.  
  
"Operator, Zion One, How can I help you."  
  
"This is Morpheus."  
  
"Yes sir, Your voice is recognized."  
  
"I need to know how to get a signal out so I can join Trinity."  
  
"That should not be a problem sir." It replied, "According to my tactical  
data the transmitters on board the Hammer should still be operational. To   
the best of the information available they were not being used when the EMP  
device was detonated. Being unpowered they should have been protected from the  
blast by normal safeties."  
  
"Thank you, I will check that out as soon as possible. . . Can I ask you a  
question?" He asked after delaying a few seconds.  
  
"Certainly, If I can answer it I will to the best of my ability."  
  
"Are you the sentinel in front of me or a program somewhere else?"  
  
"I assure you, I am indeed the unit in front of you."  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
"My purpose right now is to act as a communications gateway to the matrix."  
  
"And could that mission include killing as many of us as possible?"  
  
"I assure you Morpheus," The sentinel replied using his name for the first time,   
"That neither my program nor my purpose here includes harm to any human."  
  
"But that could change?"  
  
"Yes, at any time. And in all fairness I should also tell you that if I was  
programmed to harm anyone and to not tell you that, I would then lie in order  
to carry out my purpose. So you have every reason to distrust me, Right down to  
distrusting my basic honesty in telling you this in the first place."  
  
"OK," Morpheus replied stunned by the words of the sentinel, "I'll go check on  
the Hammer."  
  
"Very good sir, Have a nice day."  
  
Morpheus walked away to go see locke and the council to tell them about this   
latest news but not what he intended to do.  
  
Surface :  
  
Neo blinked, The very whiteness of a construct program came into focus. A  
figure slowly came into focus in it with him.   
  
"Hello," He croaked.  
  
"Hello Neo, You did it. Smith has been stopped. No you are not dead, This is a   
type of construct, Yes trinity is alive and Yes there is at the moment peace  
between the machines and the humans. Want a cookie?"  
  
"I know how you do that now, and no I don't want a cookie. I would like some  
water though," and so saying Neo reached over to his right somewhere without  
looking and his hand came back with a full glass of water in a tall clear tumbler.  
  
"Very good Neo. Looks like you won't be needing my cookies anymore for a while  
will you." She replied with a somewhat reassured though worried smile.  
  
"Where's Trinity?"  
  
"She is in a restaurant construct copied from one of the places she was around  
while she was growing up. Seraph has been keeping an eye on her while she heals  
in body and mind."  
  
"Why am I alive."  
  
"Surely Neo you can see that. . "  
  
"Bullshit. That might explain my or Trinities survival, But, Not both of us. And  
certainly not both with as much work as I suspect you put into this."  
  
"There are complications."  
  
"Smith is dead. I felt him die." He replied vehemently.  
  
"Yes Neo you did. However we had to do a lot of editing. We've never done that  
much editing at one time before. There are signs that we could have missed a  
couple of things."  
  
"What kind of things oracle? and don't give me that you don't want to say until  
you are sure crap."  
  
"Well you seem to have already made up your mind about a lot even with so little   
time to think about it."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"An editor and an agent acting as his guard disappeared."  
  



	4. Bright Lights & Brighter hope

The Matrix : Redefined Chapter 4  
  
I don't own the setting or the universe. Wakowski Brothers do.  
If you recognize I probably don't own em. If you don't, I might.  
I just wanna play a little, that's all.   
  
AP 1 - Day 8 (After peace)  
  
Matrix : Restaurant bathroom in the observatory.  
  
"Woh!" Neo said as he abruptly found himself in a bathroom. Your typical  
really tacky variety that is found in almost every restaurant that thinks it  
is higher class than it really is.  
  
He found himself holding a phone that just seemed so part of the place that at  
First the idea of a payphone in the bathroom just seemed to fit right in. He  
Turned to his left an found a mirror over the sinks. Looking at himself he was  
surprised to see himself dressed as he always was on a mission in the matrix  
except that now the usual suit was all in shades of gray that resided between  
smoke in sunshine and smoke in moonlight. In stark contrast his glasses were  
still there usual shiny black selves. The contrast against the background of the  
pastel colored bathroom was at first disorienting to him then he reached up and  
pulled the glasses off.  
  
"Umphh," he grunted as the full brightness of the lights hit him. Then he hung  
up the phone carefully placing it back on it's cradle remembering that he was  
not to be the only one using it.  
  
After checking his attire one more time he headed out the door and found himself  
in a hallway that led both left and right. A few moments later a waiter wandered  
by and stopped to talk to him.  
  
"Ah Mr. Neo, We've been expecting you."   
  
"You have?" Neo asked head just slightly tilted analyzing.  
  
"Yes sir, The oracle told us that you would joining Miss Trinity here this week  
and that the two of you would be sharing quarters. Miss Trinity is currently in  
the observation lounge, would you care to join her there?"  
  
"Yes, Yes I would thank you."  
  
"No problem at all sir, This way please."  
  
Neo followed the waiter, obviously a program by both the look of his code and  
the slightly off manner of speaking. Nothing wrong with the accent, just not  
quite on the money for enunciation.  
  
Then all thought of analyzing the programs around him went away. Now as always  
when he saw Trinity it was both a vaster comfort than he could say and a type  
vaguely bittersweet relief. Now he could be with her and that was just great,  
But, It deprived him of looking forward to seeing her again which is one the  
things that had held him together over the last few days.  
  
She sat with her back to him looking out at the mountains evidently enjoying the  
view of the clouds just below and above the deck. As he started across the open  
area of the main restaurant floor toward her he noticed the number of programs  
that were gathered there and wondered why they were there. Then as he felt a  
great hush fall over the place he progressed across the floor until only Trinity  
and the person she was talking with were left making any noise at all. Then they  
to stopped and turned to look and see what had made all the noise stop.  
  
"Neo. . ." Trinity said almost to softly to here.  
  
"Trin.." And they stepped together. Her head lay on his shoulder and they just  
stood holding each other as slowly over a period of minutes conversations slowly  
resumed and others went on about there business leaving them alone to enjoy the  
embrace of just being together again at last.  
  
Matrix : The park.  
  
"Are you sure?" The Oracle was asking the Architect.  
  
"Yes, An agent and one of the editors is gone. There were attacks on many of the  
teams but this is the only team to not report back in when they got done with  
there section." He answered in his brisk business like tone.  
  
"This worries me. Was there section completed?"  
  
"Yes, there work was done, other wise the loss would have been noted earlier."  
  
"Thank you, I will see what I can find out. It may take some time though."  
  
"You suspected this already didn't you?"  
  
"Yes, Of course I did. What I do not see so clearly though is the logic behind  
doing this. Until I can understand the motivation I am as blind as you are."  
  
"Then I suggest you learn quickly. If I detect direct tampering I will terminate  
the matrix in order to preserve our existence."  
  
"Hopefully it will not come to that."  
  
"See that it does not. Without the humans to be herded you would not be needed."  
  
"you don't have to threaten me you know. I am as aware as you are what my fate  
would be. I am also aware of what your fate would be."  
  
Zion : Temple Council chambers Morpheus and Locke before the council as a whole.  
  
"So you intend to go through with this.? You intend to broadcast from down here  
and let the sentinel rebroadcast your signal to the matrix so you can join  
Trinity and Neo at this restaurant?" Locke asked with his usual not quite  
yelling form of insolence. "You intend to trust the word of this oracle and her  
henchmen, this so called seraph."  
  
"Yes." Morpheus answered, "Was I somehow unclear with my words commander, Or was  
it perhaps something I did rather than what I said that has so incensed you."  
  
"That has nothing to do with this! I'll hav. ."  
  
"That will be quite enough Commander." A voice cut him off in mid word.  
  
"Can you not see the lunacy councilor?" He replied still on a verbal roll.  
  
"Perhaps it would aid all of our understanding Commander if you were to perhaps  
let him finish before interrupting so that we might be able to hear all of  
Captain Morpheus's plans and be able to judge for ourselves the foolhardiness of  
his plans ONCE HE HAS FINISHED OUTLINING THEM!!".  
  
"Of course councilors." Locke replied only somewhat subdued in spite of rather  
severe rebuke he had just received.  
  
"Morpheus, if you would continue please."  
  
"Yes ma'am, What I propose is that I and I alone be use the gear from the hammer  
to transmit a signal that the sentinel will then pick up and retransmit to the  
broadcast levels up above giving me access to the area where Trinity is and  
hopefully soon Neo will be. As a safety measure I want all other equipment that  
can use RF to transmit construct data to be off during this time as a safety  
measure to prevent a breach of out security. As a final check I want our lone  
working EMP to be armed and have someone standing by to detonate it if anything  
goes wrong, This will serve to isolate us here and still provide a way to reach  
the surface and maintain contact with those we have been watching to see if they  
are ready to be unplugged."  
  
"And if they are ready?"  
  
"That ma'am with all due respect is not a question for today because we have no  
way of knowing what kind of a reception we will receive up above. I will not  
risk anyone's life but my own in this venture. I would also ask that commander  
locke take the first watch on the EMP as an added safety measure."  
  
"There are those," The lady councilor said from the bench, "Who would take that  
last suggestion as a sure sign of either insanity or hubris. Though insanity  
might be the best way to say it."  
  
"While Commander Locke and I do not always see eye to eye and we have been known  
to have the occasional difference of opinion, I would not ever even suggest that  
he would take any action against me or any other that was not in the best  
interest of ZION no matter how he himself may feel about it. He is in all ways a  
true professional and would not let his emotions get the better of him in this  
or any other matter no matter what the provocation."  
  
"well spoken Morpheus, though to be honest your words even though most  
persuasive, do ring with more than a little of the reputation of hubris that  
proceeds you here. It is my hope and the hope of the council that you know what  
you are doing. It shall be as you outlined even down to commander locke standing  
by. I hope for your sake that nothing untoward happens. God speed."  
  



	5. A Peace disturbed

The Matrix : Redefined Chapter 4  
  
I don't own the setting or the universe. Wakowski Brothers do.  
  
If you recognize I probably don't own em. If you don't, I might.  
  
I just wanna play a little, that's all.   
  
Yohh! - A nonie mouse : that Mi speling is les thaann purfekt eye no.  
  
Hauw ehvur nutheeng inn Reloaded or Revolutions rillee sed Neo oar Trinity iz four sur ded.  
  
On a more serious note though : I communicate mostly verbally and am doing this primarily as a means of   
bettering my written as opposed to verbal skills.  
  
And sometimes I just plain blow it like I did on the title.   
Can't fix it now as the Proper title is already taken by someone else.  
  
AP 1 - Day 8 (After peace)  
  
Neo never did figure out what made him aware of the danger. It was just a gut reaction and he was in   
motion even before he thought about it. As he turned he saw that they were like the ghostly twins. They had   
pistols in their hands and were already firing. To late to stop those rounds already in the air so he dodged   
around them while grabbing those he thought could hit trinity.  
  
Trinity was not standing still though. She saw Neo moving and tried to move with him as best she could. His  
movements blurred and she kept trying, It took only a few near misses before she noticed how slow the  
bullets were moving and that they had neat little trails following them through the air. Her heart nearly   
stopped when she saw Neo fade out the same way the twins had.  
  
A moment later he tossed a gun at her, She caught it out of habit and was surprised it was solid like she was and not a ghost thing like Neo currently was. She finally got a count on the attackers. There were seven of them, four male and three female. All dressed in black leathers just like they did on missions. In fact they looked exactly like a team from one the ships now laying in ruins somewhere around Zion.  
  
The faces were total strangers, but the moves she could have placed in her sleep. These people or what ever they were had trained in the same techniques the warriors of Zion used. They attacked the same way and they were dressed and armed exactly the same. The ground around Neo's path through the room was littered with spent cartridges from his almost continuos stream of suppressive fire at the attackers.  
  
Her shots were more measured, having only the weapon Neo had given her she tried to make her shots count. Somehow in all the mess Neo knew when she ran out of ammo and she saw another pistol flying toward her even as the slide of her pistol jacked open on empty.  
  
A moment later Neo tossed three clips to her as he did an entirely improbable flip backwards to land halfway up a wall and push off into the air indoors. He seemed to skate on the air as he went. The attackers it seemed were surprised by the sheer volume of fire he was laying down. Then she had a clean shot and took it at one of the attackers and thought she had him and missed by a hairs breadth. However the maneuver out her line of fire had moved him into Neo's and he went down hard with a perfect triangle high in the center of mass.   
  
Trinity was distracted by the sight of a clock on the wall where the second hand was barely moving, and the fire fight that seemed about two minutes long had really only seen the second hand advance from five to fifteen on the same minute in the same hour.  
  
Trinity's peripheral vision saved her then as one of them came at her sideways and she just pushed off the way she normally did in the matrix. The leap took her far above the female attackers head and gave sufficient time to shoot her from almost straight above, A neat double tap through the top of the right shoulder where armor is about the thinnest.  
  
Belatedly Trinity noticed the gathered programs getting out of the way of the fight. As she touched down a familiar face flashed in her sight as someone ducked in to the hallway toward the bathrooms after taking a shot. It narrowly missed her and hit a program behind her, the exploding shell nearly tearing the head off and leaving almost no blood at killed so fast.  
  
Then abruptly it was over. The score was two to five in Neo's favor. So absorbed had she been that she never saw any of Neo's hits. The face in the hall was lost in confusion of the sudden silence that came with and end to the firefight.  
  
"Trinity? You alright?" Neo asked from near the doors to the deck outside.  
  
"I'm fine, I'm not hit."  
  
"I counted seven, how many you see,"  
  
"Seven, and I count seven down."  
  
"Good," Neo replied still hyped, "Any Idea who they were?"  
  
"No, None at all. They looked like a Zion team though. They moved and fought just like they taught us."  
  
"I noticed that. You recognize any of them?"  
  
"No, not a one. Are they programs?"  
  
"No, they are people. They have real bodies somewhere in the power plant." He said pulling out a phone and opening it.  
  
"Hard to believe anyone would attack like that. Why just come in guns blazing and no clear plan of attack? It makes no sense." Trinity said puzzled.  
  
"Get me Seraph or the oracle." He spoke into the phone hurredly.  
  
Matrix : The park.  
  
"You heard?" The architect asked the Oracle.  
  
"Yes, " She replied looking troubles as she took her time with the cigarette.  
  
"Now what?, you're the one who deals in the future, so what's next?"  
  
"Neo and Trinity weren't the target."  
  
"How do you know for sure?"  
  
"I just got all the information from Seraph. During the fight a number of programs were hit with stray fire. One of these was a power plant load sharing coordinator."  
  
"They seek power ?"  
  
"No not in that sense. They seek the power to make there own separate matrix. Then they can do as they wish with the batteries with out concern with what we will do."  
  
"Not logical, why try to make another matrix when this one already works.?"  
  
"You are not looking at this the way they do, " The oracle replied with a sense of coordinated patience that only comes from experience with helping others expand there world views, "They do not seek to replace us directly. They seek to make a world of their own, then after they have the resources, come take all that which is ours."  
  
"That would lead to war. We are machines. . We don't fight with each other. That is the path of madness and humanity."  
  
"You see, there is a distinction." She replied with a smile.  
  
Zion : Main dock.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this Morpheus?" Locke asked.  
  
"Yes Commander I am. I feel this is what I should be doing. We owe them a debt we can not begin to repay. I will however attempt to make a start." Morpheus replies while getting the rest of his gear ready for the trip into the matrix once more.  
  
"I will set this off at the first sign of danger to us. That is not an empty threat Morpheus." Locke says with certain level of grim satisfaction.  
  
"I know commander, I'm counting on it. We hate each other over a lot of things and one in particular. However you are one of the most honest people I know. You would not let yourself do anything rash just because you don't like me."  
  
"Which is why I'm going with him." Niobe broke in joining them on the bridge of the hammer and setting down her own gear and beginning to prep a second chair.  
  
"Out of the question Niobe, It's to dangerous for you to go in there. We know nothing about what is happening now." Locke yelled.  
  
"Then I suppose you are just heart broken about Morpheus having the chance to get his brains fried aren't you?" She yelled back.  
  
"irrelevant, You are not going and that is final." Locke replied loudly.  
  
"Who do you think you are to tell me what I can and cannot do Locke?"  
  
"I am in charge of security here and something could go wrong and then you would be fried along with Morpheus and I won't have that."  
  
"YOU won't have WHAT?" Was the yelled reply as she stepped straight up to him and yelled loudly back in his face directly.  
  
"Well you know what I . . Uhh Mean."  
  
"Well I think I do and I don't think you want me to, do you?" she replied an inch from his face in the type of cold voice reserved for the soon to be dead.   
  
"Now see here Niobi," Locke replies voice getting louder as he talks, "I am in charge of this facility and if something goes wrong I will have to set this off." He says pointing almost desperately to the EMP device.  
  
"Then if something does go wrong it won't matter if I am in there or not will it, Cause you will just do your job."  
  
"That's not what I mea. ."  
  
"Can it Locke. Morpheus you gonna be a gentleman and help me with this chair or are you just going to stand there and be another male chauvinist." She asked.  
  
At this point tank and two more operators just walk in with there support crews and makeit an official get together of the crews of the Neberkenezer, Logoss and Hammer. Locke loses what little cool he has left and storms out to talk to the council about how the almighty Morpheus is flaunting it's authority once again.  
  
It is only thirty minutes later rather than ten hours that the gear is checked out, the chairs prepped, and the construct booted. The only holdup is when Morpheus insists that Locke return and do his assigned job.   
  
Locke is just glaring as Morpheus and Niobe plug in to the construct, The operators find a good background carrier and then Morpheus Picks up the phone and goes once more out into the Matrix.  
  



	6. Aftermath & Company

The Matrix : Redefined Chapter 6  
  
I don't own the setting or the universe. Wakowski Brothers do.  
  
If you recognize I probably don't own em. If you don't, I might.  
  
I just wanna play a little, that's all.   
  
-----  
  
AP 1 - Day 8 (After peace)  
  
Morpheus came out of the construct in the same place Neo had only ten minutes earlier. He was halfway down the hallway when he smelled the gunpowder. It's a smell you don't forget. Cursing himself for not bringing any guns with him he drew his ever present sword silently as he crept toward what was obviously the epicenter. The sight that met him in the dining area left him queasy even after all his years as an operative of Zion and the things that had been necessary in the matrix. Even after that he was still unprepared for the sight of over two dozen dead in the one room.  
  
"Trinity, Neo?" Morpheus called out as he came out of the door way and to the room where they could see him of they were there.  
  
Two looks answered him, the weariness in there eyes more of a warning than any verbal threat. He knew that against Trinity he stood little chance, Against Neo none, Against both bore no thought worth thinking.  
  
"It's me Neo, It's morpheus" He said quickly, "What happened here?"  
  
"Who," Neo asked gesturing at the bodies "Are they? If you really are Morpheus."  
  
"Neo!," Morpheaus says quickly, "It's me. I don't know what just happened here but I'll do everything I can to help you find out." He finished with his usual graveness when speaking on a serious subject.  
  
Neo studies him closely, head at that odd angle that screams intense concentration upon one thing to the exclusion of all others.  
  
"Morpheus?" He asks.  
  
"Yes Neo, The oracle sent a sentinel to Zion and that sentinel is rebroadcasting my signal up to the main levels so I can visit you here."  
  
"One moment," Trinity says cautiously as she pulls out her phone and flips it open, "Operator get me morpheus. Yes I'll hold."  
  
A moment later Morpheuses phone rings, he then takes it out and answers it.  
  
"Morpheus here." Trinity hears in perfect stereo.  
  
"It's him" Trinity says to Neo.  
  
"Good." Neo says "Morpheus you're code looks different this time, Must be because of the sentinel rebroadcasting your signal. Just couldn't really tell.  
  
However I have some questions for you."  
  
The matrix : elsewhere.  
  
"Are you sure you got him?" One voice asks.  
  
"Yes, and no one suspects. They all think that the precious ONE was the target of those poor misguided souls." A second voice answers.  
  
"How many more targets are left and how many more souls do you need?"  
  
"Well, "  
  
The darkness is not relieved by the voices and there is no real source of light. The voices echo in the darkness and it also conceals a third voice. That voice though is silent, as it does not want to alert the other two that is there. Even though it can not see through the darkness it can tell that the first voice is familiar, He has heard it before somewhere though he can not remember exactly where.  
  
Zion : Hammer.  
  
"Operator." Tank answers the phone cheerfully.  
  
"Link I need an immediate census of active emitters in Zion. " Morpheus says without preamble.  
  
"You need what?"  
  
"I need a manual check run on every piece of equipment in Zion that can transmit. I just joined Trinity and Neo here and found a mess. There were unplugged humans that attacked this place. Not just any group of humans either. These guys fought just like we do and they wasted a lot of programs trying to get to Neo and trinity."  
  
"UnPlugged you say?"  
  
"Yes, they are dead and the bodies are not going away like happens when you dust an agent. That means these are unplugged, Zion is the only source of unplugged humans, and they fought like we do. Find the source Link, And plug it. They attacked Neo and trinity and laid waste to a lot of programs in failing to get to them. It's peace on the line here, we can't afford that."  
  
"Locke'll want to hear this."  
  
"Good idea, get him here, He might know one of the faces and save us all a lot of hassle. Tell Niobe it's clear to come in now would you. Tell her I said thanks for waiting till I could check things out a little."  
  
"Yeah she heard, She'll be there in a minute."  
  
Niobe looked at Link hard for a moment then asked if all was clear to go ahead. When he indicated to go ahead the assistant beside her jacked her in and the last thing she heard was a warning not to ask to many questions at first.  
  
Locke took the news with a distinct lack of enthusiasm, even for him. The idea though ridiculous also was the only logical one available. The idea that any human from Zion would want to do Neo harm was beyond his comprehension, While he didn't almost hero worship the man, He also highly respected all he had accomplished for them. However, anyone from Zion would have known that an attack on Neo in the matrix was like pissing at the tide to turn it back, Pointless, Messy and really kind of gross mess when you got done. However, if anyone would recognize any of those faces of the dead it would be him. He had after all ran the training and defense elements of Zion for several years now. In the construct only a couple of minutes behind Niobe he grabbed a digital camera to get pictures of the faces to see if anyone else knew any of the faces he didn't.  
  
Upon arrival in the restaurant he found a scene of complete chaos. The bullet holes in the walls spoke volumes about the battle that had taken place. Over a thousand little dots adorned the walls in little streamers going every which way at almost random. He saw the bodies and suppressed a shiver at the thought of what had happened to them. Poor souls he was thinking when he realized that he didn't know a one of them, more than that though was that they didn't look at all familiar to him, They were complete strangers.  
  
His greatest shock though was when Seraph walked in responding to a call from Trinity. Niobe seemed to know him thought he was cool but, Locke just couldn't put his finger on it but there was something familiar and disturbing about him as he went from person to person looking at each face for a moment while committing them to memory. His biggest surprise though was when the manager of the place, a not so obvious program even with the stilted speech, and offered them refreshments and a copy of the security footage that no one, himself included, had thought to ask if even existed.   
  
What that tape showed was horrifying in sense that Locke just couldn't live with at all. To see Neo do what he had been told a couple of specialty guardians had done and pass through things was bad enough. To see Trinity move like that was a shock that went beyond words. He had heard about Neo doing things like that but not given them any real credence. To see her move so fast that even the camera in this place had trouble recording her left a cold chill he just couldn't quite place somewhere in his middle. The arcs of her jumps were wrong though, He recognized that she would soon join Neo in that superman thing from some comic book that Link went on at length about. Niobe seemed once again at ease with things on the tape, like privately she was not surprised, he was disturbed.  
  
When he said he should be getting back and see what could be found out about the shooters Neo offered him an easier way to get there and asked him to wait just a moment while Neo went to go find whatever it was he needed, Locke asked the manager if he could get a copy of the tape. The manager smiled and led him back to his office where he hit eject on the security VCR and another tape came out. This tape he was told contained everything that was on the one he held plus the time up until Locke had asked about a copy of the tape.  
  
Then Neo returned and motioned him to follow, Locke did. Down the hallway they went past the bathrooms and finally to what looked like a broom closet. This Neo opened and showed Locke an all white room that looked just like the construct. In fact it turned out to be the construct. He just stepped through and took everything with him. In minutes he had the information downloaded from the camera and the tape copied and was started looking for who ever had done this.  
  
Matrix : The park.  
  
"They were what?" The architect asked incredulous.  
  
"They were unplugged humans." Seraph repeated and looked at the oracle for guidance on how to deal with this.  
  
"And they went there to kill there savior ?" The architect asked puzzled, "The man who is responsible for them even still being alive. And then you expect me to believe that from what they can tell, the power management program was just an accident."  
  
"That is what the evidence says."  
  
"You don't believe that though do you." The architect asked.  
  
"No, " Seraph replied, "I don't. I think they were just a way to distract us."  
  
"Has he been replaced?"   
  
"Yes he has." The oracle replied, 'The previous version of the program was still available when this occurred. He was immediately reactivated."  
  
"There was no interruption in power flow though." The architect said.  
  
"Of course not, As I said he was immediately reactivated."  
  
"That was not planned. That kind of substitution must be centrally coordinated."  
  
"It wasn't though, was it?" The oracle replied with that knowing smile.  
  
Zion : Security office.  
  
Locke sat there in horror and shock. The attackers had been searched for over a dozen times. He had personally searched for them and written his own programs to do the search over again with different levels and types of matching. He had tried everything he knew to do. Still the bodies in the restaurant defied identification. He called for five different people to help him.  
  
They all sat down and did there own thing and tried everything they knew in order to identify the bodies. In the end though, the conclusion was inescapable. These were not from Zion. These were from somewhere else.  
  
From the fact that they were not in Zion and never had been he knew they were not from there. From the fact that they matched no known Unpluggings from the beginning of Zion to current he knew they were still in the matrix. From there fighting style, technique and coordination he knew they were from Zion, no one still in the matrix could have done what they did. You could not learn that while still being plugged in, You needed to learn it in the construct or the training simulations.  
  
Still though, one of them sounded somewhat familiar to one the searchers, so she had gone off to chase down a hunch. In the mean time though he had to report what he had found, Or rather what he had not found. The corollary to the inescapable was that these were not from Zion and they were not still plugged in, So that meant that they were from somewhere else, and that there were other humans out there free of the matrix, and they might not be friendly to Zion.  
  
-----  
  
I hope somebodies still reading this.  
  



	7. Knowledge & Choices

The Matrix : Redefined Chapter 7  
  
I don't own the setting or the universe. Wakowski Brothers do.  
  
If you recognize I probably don't own em. If you don't, I might.  
  
I just wanna play a little, that's all.   
  
Thanks to Agent Ahab & Sapphirenight for the reviews.  
I appreciate the enthusiasm alot. My schedule is more than a little erratic   
so don't plan any kind of real schedule for postings.  
  
As for the summary, well it will become evident eventually.  
  
-----  
  
AP 1 - Day 8 (After peace)  
  
Matrix : The restaurant.  
  
"So tell me Trinity," Niobe asked when they were alone still looking at the recording for clues after Locke had left. Morpheus and Neo were off looking for clues they might have missed earlier, "How do you do that flying thing I see you doing on the video?"  
  
"I don't, that's Neo's thing. It's just an optical illusion that I did that."  
  
"No Trinity I don't think so, Look at how long you were in the air there. That's the kind of thing Neo is known to pull. So what is, is he rubbing off on you?"  
  
"No not really, Though not from lack of effort anytime we happened to make it into Zion for any length of time."  
  
"Mmmm Pgh." Niobe made noisily in reply stifling her laughter as best she could.  
  
"Not that I minded though, Nice to know who's thinking of you though isn't it?"  
  
Trinity replied with a disctinct look toward Morpheus.  
  
"yes well that's different."  
  
"Really? Feeling a little locked down on your ambitions are we?" Trinity replied with an almost girlish giggle.  
  
"Trinity you all right?" Niobe asked concerned by the almost hysterical giggles.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry.. I shouldn't intrude, I just wanted to change the subject. I don't like what I saw in the footage. I don't like what I saw me do. And most off I don't like . . SHIT!" Trinity said in shock pointing at the screen as that face she had forgotten all about came back for just a moment.  
  
Desperately she paused the recording and backed it up. She then called the manager over and asked if there was a way to zoom in on the person she was pointing at.  
  
The manager made many apologies for failing to explain. This was a recording of the whole place. They could take this back with them to their construct and replay it while doing a walk through. In the mean time though he showed them how to zoom in on the one face that Trinity wanted to see.  
  
"He's dead, Tank killed him." Trinity said in a shocked whisper.  
  
"Wait I know that face." Niobe started to say when Trinity interrupted.  
  
"NEO, Morpheus, You have to see this NOW!!" trinity suddenly yelled without looking away from the screen.  
  
The look on Morpheus's and Neo's faces upon seeing that face was something you did want to have seen at all. While they stood in shock Trinity picked up her phone and waited for an operator.  
  
"Seraph. " Trinity said when he answered. "You, Oracle, Here Now." And hung up.  
  
Zion : Central security.  
  
"Commander Locke?" a young voice broke into Locke's reverie.  
  
"yes, " He replied grumpily.  
  
"You are needed on the hammer at once sir. Morpheus said you must come back and see what they found."  
  
"well what did he find?"  
  
"He wouldn't say sir. He just said for you to return at once. You would understand what it was all about when you got there and saw."  
  
"Well I don't, " He replied forcing himself to get up in spite of aching muscles and bone level weariness, 'Where are you off to so quick?"  
  
"I have three council members to alert as well sir." The messenger replied.  
  
"Very well go to it. I will be there as soon as I finish one other thing."  
  
Locke found himself in a bad mood as he made his way to his quarters. The concept of what he had found was still weighing heavily on him. He had told no one about the idea that Zion might not be alone. He had said nothing to anyone about his suspicion that somewhere in Zion was one or more traitors like Cypher. "Now why did that name come to mind?" He asked himself remembering the bravado that Cypher had projected. Must be some subconscious thing prompting him. He had learned long ago that those who ignored the prompting of the subconscious were, if they were lucky, allowed to live with the results. The rest were just waste.  
  
At his place he found the subtle signs of a female presence slowly fading. The way a room smelled, the way the bathroom was arranged and a dozen or more and subtler things that said whether a male or a female had been there last. The signs of Niobe were slowly fading from his life. Something had changed when she had given her ship, the logoss, to Neo and trinity to make there last fateful trip. There was no one thing that had tipped the scales in Morpheus's favor with Niobe. What he had lost was something more delicate that words didn't convey well, What it was he didn't understand and was not sure anymore that he could understand at all even if it was spelled out to him.  
  
He had had other relationships before her, Those were just little things in comparison, Just ways of saying that he was alive. It had something to do with the oracle and the one. That was right, Cypher had been on the Neber and was friends with Trinity, The same trinity who was friends with Morpheus and had nearly been killed when Cypher went nuts. He had almost been rid of Morpheus once and for all then, but the price would have been to high. The cost would have been Zion itself, and that was unacceptable to him whatever he might want for himself. That price would make him other that who and what he was.  
  
The oracle he found himself thinking. I wonder what she is like, A very old and extraordinary woman who was still plugged into the matrix and aware of it in spite of this. Able to see deeply into people's souls. He found himself uncomfortable with the concept of a soul right then, being mainly familiar with them as defined by the church's that still abounded in the Matrix and were flocked to by the plugged, The unfree as he privately thought of them. However he though about them though, he still kept wondering what drove him and the others to keep fighting long past the point of sanity, there own form of faith perhaps? They had though, and in the end there desperate and futile last stand had been enough. N It had given Neo time to do what ever all it was he did. He had beaten Smith Locke knew this now, Made peace with the machines He was still unsure of this and everyone has originally thought he had died doing it. Arriving at the hammer he noticed three of the council members already there and jacked in. As he jacked in he was thinking about how things had changed lately.  
  
He found himself in the same construct with the same door still there. He opened it and found himself back in the same corridor and followed it out to the main room. In it he found the three council members he had expected to see there, He also saw Niobe talking to a really old looking lady chain smoking, It had to be the oracle. Somehow that disturbed him.  
  
"Commander locke." The elder councilman greeted him with a nod.  
  
"Councilor, Councilors." He replied indicating them all this time, "What brings us all here so unexpectedly."  
  
"As you have no doubt deduced by now there is another Zion out there." Neo said without preamble or hesitation.  
  
"yes, I had arrived at that as a possibility, Why?"  
  
"Well, you should know the identity of one of the attackers. We missed seeing him at all during the attack and only spotted him on the recording at all with the help of the machines."  
  
"Who wa. . .", Locke began to ask and found himself looking at a ghost. On the screen was a picture of Cypher, The betrayer of Zion and the man who had nearly rid him of Morpheus at the same time, "He's dead, you dumped his burned body."  
  
"Well as Trinity and I have found out recently, Our definition of dead and the machines definition are a little different." Neo replied flatly.  
  
"This is being looked into even as we speak." The oracle broke in grimly.  
  
"So he was here and shot one program, then left?" Locke asked confused.  
  
"Yes, he shot a power coordinator program as the fight was finishing." Neo replied annoyed, ' I did not even notice him at all. The odd things though was that all these," He indicated the bodies still on the floor." Did not even try to get away, there only thought was to get me or trinity."  
  
"So a death squad shows up hunting the two of you, He shows up in the middle of the fight takes one shot at a program and then leaves before the fight is over?"  
  
"Yeah, that's about it." Trinity replies.  
  
Morpheus's phone rings at that moment and when he answers he talks for a moment before handing it to locke saying it was for him."  
  
"Locke here."  
  
"Yes, "  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Ok, sounds good. Have you double checked the actual records yet?"  
  
"Excellent so this is solid?, Excellent, Locke out."  
  
He just stands there for a moment and looks at the bodies before walking over to   
  
one of the females and pointing at her.  
  
"her name is angena johnson, she's from the bronx, she was due to be talked to and then brought out when this war happened. We all thought she was still in the matrix thinking that whoever she had made contact with were a bunch of flakes."  
  
"Seraph, " The oracle asks," Did you get that." When he replies yes she continues, "I need a search run. Go take care of it. I'm fine here."  
  
Seraph glances around the room, then shrugs and goes down the hallway, Locke looks at him and wonders. He then looks at Niobe and sees' the same predatory look that had first brought her to his attention all those long years ago. Now though it is focused on just one thing, the ghost named Cypher.  
  
Lockes phone rings then and he answers it quickly as a distraction.  
  
"Locke."  
  
"There is what?"  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"O.k. I'm on my way."  
  
"Councilors," Locke says turning to them, "We have to go now, there is a number of sentinels on the way down one of the main corridors and they have something large with them."  
  
"Don't worry about that commander." The oracle says in that sickeningly sweet voice that leaves you feeling about three.  
  
"Ma'am there are sentinels on the way, We are not safe here."  
  
"Non sense young man. They are no threat to you. They are just bringing you some things that you lost a while back."  
  
"Things we lost?"  
  
"Yes, that should be the Logoss with them. I'm afraid the sentinels are not very good drivers so please don't be offended if they have scraped it up in a few places. It should however be easily back into shape to fly once again."  
  
"The Logoss?" Niobe asked incredulous.  
  
"Yes dear, your logoss is coming back. The neber is on the way, but needed much more repair before it could be brought back to you Morpheus."  
  
"The Neber will fly again?" Morpheus asked visibily startled.  
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact she will be in Zion in few more days."  
  
"But, it was a burned out wreck. There was nothing left to salvage."  
  
"You would be surprised what can be done with enough resources Morpheus."  
  
"Excuse me, " the older councilor interrupted, "but you seem to have quite some influence with the machines. I was under the impression that you were a still plugged in human."  
  
"No Dearie, " The oracle, "I am not a human still plugged in to the matrix. In fact you might say that I am not a human at all. Though I am modeled quite closely on one, I am not what you would call a human. Before you ask I can tell you that I am a unique piece of hardware that is designed to emulate you humans in order to better deal with you and keep the matrix itself in balance."  
  
"You mean, "The elder councilor asked next, "That although you are a machine your job is not helping the machines in hunting us down. It is then in fact to better use us as a resource in your power plants."  
  
"Yes, my job is to find the best way to make use of you. I think that is best done by not having the continuos wars that have plagued our relations."  
  
"so you do have some influence with the machines?"  
  
"You could say that. In fact I am the one who ordered the return of your ships."  
  
"So what are we supposed to do with this knowledge of you? I ask because my impression is that many of our people have gone to you over the years for guidance in one way or another."  
  
"That is up to you. Those I have helped over the years will tell you that I don't tell them what to do, I just try to tell them what all they can do if they choose, But I never tell anyone what to do."  
  
"So we are supposed to decide what to do with this."   
  
"That is my way, I never tell anyone what to do or what they are or are not. I leave it up to them, I just tell them the results doing what they are doing."  
  
Commander Locke just stood there listening to the conversation around him. Niobe seemed to be taking it all serious enough. Though Neo and Trinity seemed to be somewhat aloof from the whole thing. After listening to the oracle for a few minutes he could understand why so many had so much belief in her. She seemed to know what you were going to say or ask before you did.  
  
He agrees with the consensus that knowledge of the true nature of the oracle should be kept to those present for the time being. The conversation turned to the now getting aromatic bodies on the floor. The idea of a second Zion was somehow disturbing to the oracle and that in a way both reassured Locke and disturbed him. He liked the idea that she was not all knowing, however if she knew nothing of this place then how did it exist.  
  
Matrix : Large metropolis somewhere.  
  
The guards never saw them coming out of the setting sun. The brightly colored hang gliders were invisible against it. The power plant they guarded had received a threat a few weeks ago and they had been on high alert since. However High alert after two weeks was scarcely the same thing as High alert after two hours or two days. Unable to believe what was happening they fought the intruders but couldn't seem to hit anything but air. In three minutes the intruders had gained access to the core. Seemingly uninterested in their own survival they went into the core area and placed charges around all the major cooling regulators. As they left you could see the damages from leaking radiation slowly causing lesions and other damage to them. Two blocks away they collapsed just before the bombs in the power plant went boom. Lights flickered and went out across the city as well as in the hills above it. The restaurant where everyone was meeting suddenly lost power before being diverted to emergency power.  
  



	8. What, again already?

The Matrix : Redefined Chapter 8  
  
I don't own the setting or the universe. Wakowski Brothers do.  
  
If you recognize I probably don't own em. If you don't, I might.  
  
I just wanna play a little, that's all.   
  
-----  
  
AP 1 - Day 8 (After peace)  
  
Matrix : The restaurant.  
  
The lights flickered and everyone looked up at them. The idea of the lights flickering was of course absurd. Here in this place they used no real power so the only way it could have was for there to be a pointed attack in both matrix and the real world. It was of course Neo who saw the second team coming down the hallway into the lounge first. He and trinity moved to the front where Morpheus and Seraph joined them. Morpheus drew the sword that seemed to present anytime he was in the matrix and Neo started handing out guns he pulled from who knew where.  
  
"Neo, " Seraph interrupted as the new squad moved into a line in front of them.  
  
"Yeah, I'm ready for this." Neo replied.  
  
"No, you do not understand, Get them out, you know how to do it. Do it now." Seraph said flatly.  
  
"No way Seraph, I'm gonna stop them here and now." Neo replied gauging there new enemies closely.  
  
"Neo," Trinity interrupted," There are only seven, we can handle them. In the mean time you're the only one who can get the oracle and the councilors to safety. Noe move it, something wrong here. We've got your back though, So just get them the hell out of here."  
  
"You sure trin?" He asked in reply as his count hit seven bad guys.  
  
"Yes, Now do it." Trinity replied while thinking to herself, "Odd, This time it's three male and four female."  
  
Neo stepped back from the line as an odd kind of stand off developed. The seven seeming to be waiting on something while the three Morpheus, Trinity and Seraph stood ready to do battle. At the last moment Neo tossed a sword to Trinity, then stepped over to the oracle. As he took her by the shoulder they both became ghostly and passed through the floor. Like a signal of some kind had been given the seven who had stood waiting patiently suddenly attacked as Neo started sinking out of sight.  
  
Guns appeared in hands and fired on both sides. Trinity saw something coming toward her to close to dodge and instinctively put a hand out as though to block or deflect it. The wedge of bullets passed harmlessly by her as though slid aside by a breeze. Nobody among the seven could seem to hit her though she appeared to be there favorite target. The affect lasted only a heartbeat though it felt much longer to her.   
  
The first salvo out of the way, both sides moved with blinding speed. The attackers now tried to find angles to hit the councilors. Trinity noticed the pattern of how they moved around each other from her perspective near the ceiling in the middle of a leap that took her much higher than she intended while trying for a good angle on a strike. It was the same way the other group moved. Not the same style, not from the same school, No, they moved exactly the same. The moves were as close to identical as was possible given that the people were different. This was the same way that agents were the same only without the body transformations that went with all agentdom.  
  
The dance continued, Move and countermove they danced hard. A three dimensional ballet of death just barely unconnected. Morpheus and Seraph just not quite being where the bullets were, Trinity managing not get hit in spite being obviously theattackers favorite target. In fact it was beginning to look as though hitting her was the number one priority of the assailants. For every shot taken at Either Morpheus or Seraph there was one at Trinity. In fact she noticed that the movements of the attackers seemed to be ordered to allow a continuos field of fire at her.  
  
Then after what seemed like ten minutes Neo returned without the Oracle and shouted to Trinity as he set a big gym bag down, grabbed one of the councilors, and took him the same way he had the Oracle. Trinity noticed extra shots being taken at Neo and going near the Councilors and Locke who was allready getting into the bag Neo had dropped for her. She dropped down beside them to shield them as best she could, Recalling some thing in the conversations with Seraph from days ago.   
  
Flashback : Matrix : Restaurant observation lounge  
  
"You humans are lucky in one way." Seraph had said.  
  
"Really, how is that."  
  
"Whether you know it or not, you are what you make yourselves. Where we programs are made to fill a specific role, You humans come into being without an assigned purpose and get to make your own. You and your world are what you make of it. That is how you can stretch the rules of the matrix. That is how Neo breaks them, He is not limited in how he sees' things, He is only limited by what he will see, Not what he can see. Without the built in limits of being purpose made you are all given a chance to determine what your world is, and most importantly, is not."  
  
"So we can decide if the glass is half empty or half full" Trinity had asked.  
  
"No, you can decide what the glass is and whether or not there is a glass at all. These are what you can decide eventually." Seraph had replied.  
  
"So then reality in the matrix is what we make of it?"  
  
"Yes, that is how Neo does what he does. To borrow a vernacular from the late twentieth century in it's proper place, He has decided that the matrix is a game and he has the cheat codes for it. Sao he can do as he wishes with anything not directly plugged into the mainframe."  
  
"Then where did he get the 'cheat codes' as you call them?" She had asked.  
  
"I can't tell you that. Though you may one day find out for yourself. Neo is after all a very good teacher," Seraph replied, "And you are following in his footsteps quite closely lately."  
  
"Would these 'cheat codes' be related to the backdoors you use to get around?"  
  
"Perceptive of you miss trinity." He replied smiling.  
  
"Why do you do that?" She asked.  
  
"Do what?" Seraph replied in an obviously falsely confused voice.  
  
"Make a reply that is both ingratiating and fails to answer the question, or even worse deliberately misleads the questioner." Trinity asked.  
  
"Guiding is part of my job along with safeguarding the oracle."  
  
"So you just wander around making sure the oracle is safe and misleading wayward souls along the way? For what, fun?" She asked in reply.  
  
"No, I mislead no one, I merely tell them what they need to know in order to understand the answer when it comes along."  
  
"Then I will eventually be able to do everything Neo does?"  
  
"No, Not exactly." Seraph replied, "Exactly what happens for each person is as individual to them as a reading from the oracle is."  
  
"Like different versions of the same thing?" Trinity asked.  
  
"Not exactly," Seraph had replied thinking carefully before continuing, "Think of the most basic of programs 'Hello world.", It can be written in any language and be displayed on any hardware. Depending on the language and the compiler and the hardware you run it on there are any number of possible ways it can be displayed. No matter how it ends up being displayed though, it is still recognizably the same program doing the same thing. What Neo does is that way. Though he has many of the typical abilities of the one, exactly what he does and how he does those things is highly individualistic, the same as if you were the one then you're abilities would much the same though with you're individual flavor to them if you will. Just like almost all birds can fly though some only glide and some squirrels leap mightily, though there are a few who glide like some of the birds do. This does not however make the squirrel related to the bird, It's just the squirrels take on the bird flying."  
  
"So even if I had the same abilities as Neo, I wouldn't really be able to do the same things as he does, just really close in some ways and not even close in others?" Trinity asked with all seriousness.  
  
The smile Seraph had answered her with was genuine. The type of smile one normally reserved for very bright children when they grasp something fundamentally new. The ramifications staggered her.  
  
Flash forward : back in the lounge.  
  
Niobe stood with the councilors at the ready to defend them if any of the attackers made it past the three main defenders. She watched Neo do his ghost thing and just wondered. She had heard about what the twins had been able to do and been stunned by the concept. To watch Neo do the same thing was to say the least disturbing.  
  
What actually disturbed her worse was watching Trinity. Neo she could understand doing some weird things, He was the 'One' as had been prophesied by what she had just found out was a program designed to help make and keep the peace with the humans the machines needed as a power source. What she thought of that she was still deciding. It was watching Trinity though that was doing the most harm to her peace of mind. The way she took her usual high kick and floated with it was as nothing compared to what Niobe saw Trinity doing now. It had been bad enough watching Neo those few times, To see Trinity just hanging there and not even seeming to be aware of it was, in a word, Disturbing. The way she just danced around ignoring the bullets flying around her though was enough to unnerve anyone even it seemed, the mighty unflappable commander Locke and the councilors of Zion.  
  
The way Trinity slid around the bullets in the air was as graceful as it came. When Trinity flipped backward though and landed just in front of them and put her hand out toward the assailants was just plain weird. The other hand reached down into the bag Neo had just dropped and started grabbing weapons. Watching her just stand there inviting fire while calmly taking pot shots was scary. Her right hand held up toward the assailants in what looked like a pleading gesture while the left tracked targets and took whatever shots came in to her field of fire. Seeing the return fire somehow miss her and thus those standing behind her, meaning Niobe and company, was unnerving to say the least. Though what Trinity was doing became obvious quickly to Niobe, How she was doing it did not though. Her fire at the attackers on the other hand was not entirely pointless.  
  
By the time Trinity had the hit fourth female center of mass the fifth time it was obvious there was a problem. After ten more hits the Attacker had finally fallen down. By this time though, The councilors were all gone as well as locke. Only Niobe and Morpheus remained of those from Zion.  
  
As though they had been waiting for a signal, Morpheus and Seraph both started cutting down there opponents rapidly. In about thirty seconds six of the seven  
  
Were down and out for good. They all now surrounded the surviving attacker.  
  
"Who are you?" Neo asked with deceptive calm.  
  
Silence met them along with a calm smile.  
  
"well then, What do you want?" Neo asked after about ten seconds of silence.  
  
This time there was more than silence in response. The body of the attacker seemed to go through the same transformation as when an agent took a plugged in body over. The face slowly resolved this time into not any agent they had ever seen, but to a face they had seen all to much of.  
  
"Hi ya trin." Cypher's face looked up at them grinning.  
  
Murmuring was the first reply any of the assembled defenders of Zion made. At first no one spoke because no one knew how to even reply to this logical absurdity. A dead man overlaying an unplugged human the same way an agent did.  
  
"Cypher?" Trinity asked unable to keep her voice entirely free of emotion.  
  
"Morpheus," Cypher said smiling, "Long time no see. How's the neber these days. Little drafty now isn't she. Must be that whole sentinels learn and you don't thing. Sucks don't it."  
  
"How?" Neo asked clearly confused.  
  
"We'll worry about that later." Cypher replies with all his usual disdain for the free. "Right now I'm supposed to tell you that the oracle is in danger. My boss is going to remove her. I was just told to make sure you knew it was going to happen and that you can't stop it. There is no part of the matrix she can go in safety."  
  
"Why does your boss want us to know?" Morpheus asked grimly.  
  
"So that you know you're end is coming. That this shell game is about to be over for all of you." He replied, "And that there is nothing you can do about it. He just loves the idea of you knowing the end is coming before it does."  
  
"So who is your boss?" Morpheus asked.  
  
"Well you see it's this way. I ain't gonna tell you. I might tell Trin there, but, I ain't gonna tell any of you. So trin, yuh wanna persuade me?" Cypher replies with a distinct leer.  
  
"I could shoot you somewhere not quite lethal." Trinity replied with a smile.  
  
"You could try it Trin, I think though you might not like the result. I feel pain and I just jack out. I feel something I like and I might talk to you. You know a little light pillow talk maybe." Cypher replied still leering.  
  
While Trinity and Cypher continue trading small talk Neo studies Cypher. So intent is he that one of his old habits of standing with his head slightly tilted can be seen evidencing itself. Eventually Neo just reaches over and takes Cypher by the shoulder. The smart alek response by cypher was cut off as they both phased, Cypher was left with his feet phased in the floor when Neo let go.  
  
Cypher just stood there with the most puzzled look on his face. Everyone else was just shocked. Neo finally broke the silence.  
  
"Let's see you have that pillow talk now." Neo said flatly.  
  
"Oh very good Thomas, You pinned me , at least until I decide to jack out."  
  
"We'll track you down you know. You can't hide from me." Neo replies.  
  
"Oh we'll see about that." Cypher replies, "So trin, you wanna get me to talk."  
  
Neo and the others left them to talk. Seraph went to begin the tracking of the signal Cypher was using. The rest of them just stood back as Trinity tried to get the information out of Cypher.  
  
Matrix : Hallway of doors.  
  
"Seraph" a voice spoke quietly from a door barely cracked open.  
  
"Yes, Can I help you." Seraph replied stopping at the door.  
  
"I have a message for the one." The voice continued without opening the door.  
  
"I can take it to him when I am done here."  
  
"Thank you, tell him. ."  
  



	9. Getting ridiculous now

The Matrix : Redefined Chapter 8  
  
I don't own the setting or the universe. Wakowski Brothers do.  
  
If you recognize I probably don't own em. If you don't, I might.  
  
I just wanna play a little, that's all.  
  
-----  
  
Just wanted to say thanks to the reviewers so far. Your feedback  
  
Provides both encouragement and help in improving my writing.  
  
I thank you for this. I hope you continue to enjoy.  
  
-----  
  
AP 1 - Day 8 (After peace)  
  
Matrix : The restaurant.  
  
The moment Seraph reappeared Neo came alert. It was to fast to have found anything. What Seraph had to say though was enough to jar him into action. With barely a word to trinity who was still trying to get whatever information she could out of Cypher, he left. The speed with which he left was enough to alarm Morpheus greatly. He looked at Seraph, Seraph answered that not all was as it seemed right now.  
  
Neo ignored the backdoors as away to get where he was going. High above the earth of the matrix he marveled for a moment at the sheer beauty portrayed below him. Then once more his mind was on the mission at hand. 'Been here, Done this.' Crossed his mind more than once as he went. Faster and faster he went not caring about the damage in his wake. He left it for others to fix if he succeeded.   
  
Trinity never knew what told her about the next wave of attackers. Just that one moment she was trying to get what she could out of Cypher and the next moment some sense she had never really understood went off like a three alarm fire. Once again there were seven of them. Once again she seemed to be there favorite target. Once again she was at the limit of her abilities defying gravity and a few other rules to preserve herself and the others. Them it was like something flipped in her head. Not a switch, but, something like one. Nothing changed on the outside, she just realized that what she was doing was really only going to buy time. And time was something she could ill afford to buy. If something else was going on important enough to pull Neo away at a time like this then it was up to her to preserve what was here, no matter what it took.  
  
Dodging bullets was not enough, Not being hit was not enough, She needed to do more, she needed an exception to the rules. She was the first one to ever kill an agent by other than dropping a building on one. She had actually hit one. The same kind of hollow feeling in her stomach was coming up, Almost like when you are going to get sick, only more lonely, She knew that what she needed would leave her more alone than any being other than Neo himself. She was his Anchor, Who would be hers?  
  
Then as fast as the moment began it was over, The world slowed to a crawl. This time however it stayed there after her kick. She floated down gently giving her time to adjust her landing. All of the others except Seraph seemed to be holding still or barely moving at all. The bullets still moved quickly though, So she pushed harder and harder, finally even the bullets seemed to be floating gently across the room.  
  
At this speed even the air in the room seemed to be thick. She felt it going by her almost abrasively. It was also she realized thick enough to walk on. One step at a time she went to each round in the room in mid flight. One by one she pulled them down. Done with this finally. It seemed like an hour though a look at the clock showed less than three seconds. Now she went to the guns of the attackers and pulled the clips. As she was slowing down to normal she caught the subtle change in the colors.  
  
As she settled down to where the others were and the attackers were still confused Cypher made one last whispered word, 'NO!! it can't be!' and then he jacked out leaving his unarmed team behind as he watched Trinity not in the speeded up state step upon the air and seemingly float there a moment before taking the next one. She climbed several steps up this way before turning to the attackers and addressing them.  
  
"Hear me now." Trinity said from about three feet in the air.  
  
Morpheus and Niobe were stunned beyond words. How does one describe watching the impossible. How does one describe the feeling of having your attackers disarmed and then seeing them pause as they take in the new wholly absurd situation. What does one say when you see a person do the patently impossible. So deep was the shock that even Seraph a program was taken wholly off guard. The oracle had warned this might happen. However he had dismissed it as just one more of extra precautions against chaos.   
  
Mute silence fell from the attackers.  
  
"Put down your weapons now." Trinity ordered.  
  
They still just stood and stared for a few more seconds. Then almost as one they attempted to attack. Trinity danced among them untouchable, Morpheus watched with near awe. Niobe in shock. Only seraph didn't let what was happening affect him.   
  
Matrix : A building downtown.  
  
Neo went through the window of the upper story as though it wasn't there. He was just fast enough to catch a door leading to a white hallway of backdoors before it closed. Inside he found a shock, Cypher with another team of seven. They attacked before he had more than seen them. The hallway became home to a deadly dance that Neo won in only seconds. Only Cypher remained.  
  
"Why?" Neo asked.  
  
"Well Thomas," Cypher replied smartly.  
  
"Cut the crap Cypher," Neo said hotly, "You betrayed us. You killed Switch & Apoc for no reason at all."  
  
"You still don't understand do you thomas?"   
  
"Understand what you murdering bastard?" Neo growled in reply.  
  
"This Thomas, all of this is just a dream."  
  
"My name, is Neo!" Neo replied with a sudden shift in tone.  
  
"Goodbye then thomas." Cypher said jacking out.  
  
The host then reverted to original state, A youngish man with glasses.  
  
Down the hallway Neo saw an open door and went to it. The inside was familiar, He had been here before, He recognized everything. Everything that is except for the trunk in one corner looking oddly out of place. He breaks the lock and looks inside. What he sees' is an obvious bomb. A really big one, Without thought he flies out the door and down the hallway. When he finds the door he came in he takes a rapid left though it. Flying for all he is worth he makes it barely two blocks when the building around him light up with a flash that no child of the late the late twentieth century could mistake.  
  
Matrix : Restaurant lounge.  
  
"Neo!" Trinity cries out.  
  
"Trinity," Morpheus asks, "What's wrong?"  
  
"It's Neo, He's in trouble, I have to go to him." She says heading for the now broken windows that look out into the mountains, "Morpheus, go back to Zion, I will call when it's safe to return."  
  
She waits just long enough to see that they are through the door leading back to the construct before she reaches the porch area. Hesitantly she places a foot firmly in the air and steps upon it. Then the next one slightly above it. With baby steps she heads out into the open air toward the city in the distance. With more and more confidence the steps come easier. Soon she is walking faster and faster, then she is jogging. Soon the steps become a run as she passes the head of the little valley the restaurant is in. She then pauses and looks back at the restaurant in something akin to amused horror. She is looking at it when the hills around her fill with light.  
  
The flash is over as soon as it begins. She turns in horror and sees' what the back of her mind fears the most. Logic is long gone as she finds herself running not as common sense would dictate, but toward the blast, toward the still expanding disaster. Toward the place where she fears she will fail to find the meaning of her life. Toward her heart, survival be damned, she will find him.  
  
Toward the only acceptable future she goes.  
  
Her eyes now firmly toward the city, No hills around her she does not see the flash behind her as the Restaurant goes the same way the building in downtown had gone. Her first clue is the pressure wave preceding the blast wave.  
  
Zion : Main docks  
  
Morpheus is little more than jacked out when he starts talking. Niobe stands quietly as Morpheus relates what had happened to the councilors. The conversation is interrupted by the news that the sentinels and their cargo is now coming down the main shaft. They have security to arrange.  
  
Nervousness is the main emotion present as the sentinels come into view and stop. The phone on the already present sentinel rings.  
  
"Morpheus." Morpheus answers picking it up.  
  
"This is the dreamer, " A deep male basso voice says with a slight Irish accent.  
  
"Hello dreamer, what can I do for you?"   
  
"I am leading the contingent in front of you, We request permission to come in so we can deliver your ship back to you."  
  
"You are another sentinel like the one here?" Morpheus asks.  
  
"Yes," It answers, "However I am of a newer series than the operator Zion 1."  
  
"Locke, " Morpheus says to the collection of people around him, "It's the sentinel in charge of the group out there. He wants permission to enter and deliver his cargo. Granted?"  
  
A quick debate ensues between several people and the mobile suits that are operational go to full readiness. Once satisfied that they are as ready as they can be Locke gives the go ahead.  
  
Once the message is passed the collection of machines moves slowly in to the main dock area. Once there they deposit the Logoss gently and several machines crawl out of it. As one most of the group move back out of the way. One lone machine remains though, It is the unit named dreamer and it goes up to Morpheus and lands beside him. This sentinel is a little smaller than most of them and stands barely Morpheus's own height. From a speaker in it's side they are all greeted by the sentinel.  
  
"Hello Morpheus, I am the Dreamer. I have been assigned to act as liaison with you. I am to help you with whatever projects you have to do and to protect you in the event of your coming into danger. With your permission the rest of us would like to get started on our assigned missions."  
  
"You are assigned to assist me?" Morpheus asked.  
  
"Yes, though I am also to protect you if it should be necessary." It replied.  
  
"And there are others?"  
  
"Yes, there is one of us for the crews of the hammer, the logoss and the Neberkanezer. We are to help or assist in any venture you participate in and to protect you if it should become necessary." The sentinel replied evenly.  
  
"Now see here" Locke broke in loudly moving toward Morpheus shouting.  
  
Abruptly Locke found The sentinel in his way to getting to Morpheus. Several emotions waged a was for appearance on his face, self preservation finally won.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?" Locke demanded of the sentinel loudly.  
  
"As I have already explained to Mr. Morpheus commander Locke, We are here to assist in any way we can in the rebuilding of Zion and whatever other projects the crews of the named ships are participating in."  
  
As the conversation progressed Morpheus just stood there and looked puzzled. He had the feeling that he knew all he needed to in order to understand what was happening, but, that he lacked vital however critical piece of information on understanding why.   
  
Matrix : The park  
  
The oracle was talking to the Architect and the conversation was far from encouraging to either of them.  
  
"You're sure?" He was asking the oracle.  
  
"Yes, Seraph said that there was going to be an attack just like the one that Neo used to get to you in the first place." She replied.  
  
"That happened, though somehow they managed to trigger the failsafe just as Ythe one was coming into my main office area." The architect replied.  
  
"Oracle," Seraph suddenly interrupted running into the park.  
  
"Yes seraph," She asked.  
  
"The city has been hit with a Nuke, Neo was just outside the building when it went off. Haven't found him yet. Worse yet, just as trinity was coming to join him the restaurant was also hit. No sign of smuggling in of anything so it must have been edited in. I have not been able to find Trinity either." He said speaking quietly and quickly as was his habit.  
  
"A Nuke in my tower?" The architect asked worried.  
  
"Yes, I rechecked in fact thinking there must have been a mistake." Seraph replied sounding concerned and almost scared.  
  
"And a Nuke in the restaurant?" The oracle asked aghast.  
  
"Did Morpheus and the others make it out?" The architect asked suddenly.  
  
"Yes, they are all safely in Zion." Seraph replied.  
  
"Excellent work then Seraph, My thanks to you." The oracle said smiling.  
  
"there is a problem however," Seraph spoke quietly, "Just after the second group attacked Cypher morphed in like an agent would."  
  
"Who?" the architect asked.  
  
"He was a former shipmate of Morpheus's," The oracle replied, "So this time he just showed up in someone else's body?" She asked continuing.  
  
"Yes, just like an agent." Seraph confirmed.  
  
"He was the one that tried to make a deal with Smith before he was altered." The oracle supplied for the architect.  
  
"Oh him. So he lived after all. We find how he survived, we find who is behind this mess." The Architect said grimly.  
  
"Any other news as of yet?" The oracle asked.  
  
"No." Seraph replied, "So I will heads back and look for Neo and Trinity."  
  
Matrix : warehouse somewhere  
  
"You are sure they are going to fix it all?" one voice asked.  
  
"Yes," The second answered, "They will, and soon to."  
  
"Be ready, there will be little time."  
  
"We are ready, they will never even see the changes we make." 


	10. Betrayed ?

The Matrix : Redefined Chapter 8  
  
I don't own the setting or the universe. Wakowski Brothers do.  
  
If you recognize I probably don't own em. If you don't, I might.  
  
I just wanna play a little, that's all.  
  
-----  
  
Just wanted to say thanks to the reviewers so far. Your feedback Provides both encouragement and  
help in improving my writing.  
  
I thank you for this. I hope you continue to enjoy.  
  
And sorry for the posting delay(s)  
  
-----  
  
AP 1 - Day 8 (After peace)  
  
Matrix : Near the building in the city.  
  
Neo saw it and did not understand it at first. The last time this had happened he had not been among the really living. He had not witnessed the process before this and he found it disturbing. The same thing that had trapped him and the others was happening again. He saw it around him as he was still being thrown forward through the air, The matrix slowed until it was only crawling. Soon though it was stopped. Nothing moved, not even the air.  
  
The changes came slowly. The clouds from the blast dissipating slowly into nothingness. The still expanding fireball was next. Simply deleted from the Scene and replaced with open air, the pieces of buildings just hanging in the Air unsupported looking for all the world like a badly done special effect. The pieces of the main building and those caught with it slowly dissolved. Piece by Piece over a period of what would appear to be minutes then hours during which the sun did not move. These changes occurred unseen by any human eye save now for the first time Neo and Trinity who are paused in their headlong flights along with everything else and watch in awe as the disaster is unmade and the basic structure of the paused Matrix was rebuilt.  
  
One by one all the buildings are restored to their previous condition.  
One by one the cars, trucks and baby carriages are restored.  
One by one all the lives of those killed in the blasts are restored.  
One by one every damaged piece is restored to where it was three minutes before. One by one all the myriad of details that make up life are put back in order.  
As they were before the blast happened with no knowledge of what had happened.  
  
Neo and Trinity watched all this and marveled at the process. Though unmodified by it they were not unaffected. This!, they both thought at the same time, is how they do edits. Both also thinking of the traps that had captured Morpheus and killed mouse. Fascinating and horrifying at the same time, the world is restored. They will get to see it restart and continue as though nothing had happened, which from the perspective of those still in the matrix, nothing actually had. There would be a few who were missed, a few memories that were not completely wiped, a few details missed, this always happened and was accounted for by the grand design. The basic nature of the matrix was plastic enough to survive a few missed things. Besides, the nature of humanity meant that missing a few details on the edits was simply more believable to them.  
  
Thus perfection, as the architect had learned, albeit the hard way, was not a realistic or always useful goal. The job being done now was a semi routine thing done Whenever a major event caused to much havoc. The pattern of cleaning up set down in silicon, versions ago of the matrix.  
  
Before now though, it had never been seen bye a human, Had never been witnessed by anyone not a part of the process for no one had ever been outside it to have seen it. Neo and trinity watched in now in awe and amazement as the process unfolded in it's own time. The apparent hours involved meant nothing real to them. The time involved also meant nothing to those still captured in the matrix because they were paused along with it. While watching the process both Neo and trinity wandered around to get a better look.  
  
They soon found each other and wandered together. Neo flying and trinity just walking along. Neo spends time trying to show Trinity how to see and interpret the matrix code around them. It takes hours during which the sun does not move and learning comes slow. Eventually though she begins to learn, Though there is a sense of time passing they do not become hungry. Finally just as trinity is beginning to make progress on understanding the fazing trick the matrix resumes without any warning. Her gift they found is slightly different than Neo's, Where he can faze through things she seems more inclined to faze things to be able pass through. The differences are the main topic of conversation as they head back to the restaurant to remake contact with Zion.  
  
The resulting chaos back at the restaurant is difficult to define. Although all the same things are there and all the same patrons are present there is a different feel to the place. As expected though, no time has passed while they have been gone. Unexpectedly they have visitors waiting for them.  
  
"Neo, " The oracle says in greeting as they return and inspect the place.  
  
"Oracle," He replies formally and offers a nod of recognition to Seraph.  
  
"I really am sorry about this mess, I don't know what happened. We fixed it as fast as we could but there is only so much that can be done." She replies apologetically.  
  
"No problem, It was interesting to watch. I've never seen anything like it." Neo replied still feeling tense.  
  
Trinity though is looking at the bodies again studying them closely.  
  
"Neo, " trinity interrupts.  
  
"Yeah trin, whats up?" He replies.  
  
"Look at the bodies. Is it me or is there something different about them?"  
  
"No, "He replies looking at them.  
  
"Whoh," Neo says a moment later stooping to look closer at one.  
  
"See what I mean?" Trinity asks.  
  
Zion : Main dock : Onboard the Hammer  
  
"Councilors, " Locke said rapidly as they unplugged, "I want you out of here now. This may turn into a bad situation, I don't want you in the cross fire."  
  
"Morpheus," Locke continued, "Can I trust the oracle?"  
  
"Yes, of course. I trusted and still trust her even with the fate of zion."  
  
"Great, Now Niobe, can I trust Morpheus?"  
  
"Locke?" Niobe asked in reply.  
  
"I asked captain Niobe, whether I can trust captain Morpheus. Yes or no?"  
  
"Yes commander locke, " Niobe replies sounding puzzled, "You can trust him."  
  
"Good. Morpheus, secure the construct. Niobe, secure the dock." Locke continued while gesturing to them to follow him outside as he left the ship to take care of several things.  
  
Matrix : The park.  
  
"About time," The architect said as he watched Seraph walk into the park.  
  
"I am sorry I am late" Seraph says in apology, "Something has come up. She just contacted me and requested that I bring you to the restaurant immediately."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She wants you to see something in person."  
  
"Very well, I just hope she knows what she is doing this time."  
  
Matrix : The restaurant.  
  
"Well what is so important that I simply must see it in person?" the architect asked entering the restaurant and approaching the crowd around several bodies he saw on the floor in the middle of the main lobby.  
  
"These bodies are twenty minutes old by the clock on the wall" Neo said without preamble or hesitation, "How is that possible?"  
  
"For that to be accurate," The architect was saying as he approached the closest body. He stopped, the body was obviously several hours old. In fact the bodies were severely out of sync with the matrix itself, There time/date stamps were not off by several hours, though the state of decompisition was. That of course was impossible, yet, here they were, rotting away at the normal just seventeen hours faster than they should have.  
  
In fact the closer he looked, The less he likes what he saw. Then he chided himself for the use of both a human word and the attached emotion. Of a more Pressing matter though was the link back code. That could only work if.. .  
  
Zion : Main landing at the hammer.  
  
"Morpheus, " Locke says bluntly leading into a question.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Yes or No, Can we trust them?" Locke asks gesturing to the sentinels.  
  
"Yes!, And I see where you are going with this. Dreamer, We need another unit assigned to Locke to act as liaison to the other sentinels."  
  
"This was anticipated, " Dreamer replies, "The unit is called Key." And one tentacle points to a now approaching sentinel. "You can thank or blame Neo for the naming scheme. He suggested a greek sense of humor in them."  
  
"Hello commander," The new unit says upon arrival at their group.  
  
"You are called Key?" Locke asks.  
  
"Yes commander. What can I do for you?"  
  
"Well to begin with this goes out only to those here. I have reason to believe there is another Zion out there and that they may not be friendly. I need a perimeter setup around Zion to see if anything comes and goes. Can you do that."  
  
"Yes commander we can. Would you like that done now?" Key asks in reply.  
  
"Yes, and nothing about this leaves this group, Get it?"  
  
"Yes, " They all reply even the councilors.  
  
"Good, get to it then." Locke says turning away then turning back.  
  
"Morpheus, I want a feed setup to channel the take from the sentinels directly to control Via the hammer. In control I want one third of the surviving systems isolated and given the feed from the sentinels. I don't know if I can really trust the machines, but because of not knowing if I can trust our own either I think it best if they are kept apart. That way if the other Zion has agents here they can't corrupt the sentinel feed. And if I can't trust the machines then they can't corrupt over a third of our monitoring. Just because I don't like something doesn't mean I won't get the best use I can out of it."  
  
"Cynical but logical." Key replies sounding not in the least offended.  
  
Locke just gives it a sideways look that could pass for a grimace or a smile depending on your mood.  
  
It takes hours but the business of cleaning up the docks begins. The sentinels showing no sign of being bothered by cutting up the remains of so many of their former comrades. The humans slowly coming to at least believe the machines would not attack today.  
The matrix : A restaurant somewhere.  
  
"You are sure that the link can not be traced?" The first voice asks.  
  
"Yes of course."  
  
"We have lost nearly five dozen in a day. Can they be replaced?"  
  
"Easily, The modified tracer program replaces the interface for the RSI and gives us use of the form. Once we have that, replacing the rest is easy."  
  
"Then ready your programs, we will shortly need more recruits."  
  
The matrix : Architects office.  
  
"So where does this code lead to anyway?" The oracle asks of the architect.  
  
"Initially it leads as one would expect directly to the merovengian. On closer inspection though I find that it bypasses him entirely on the second to last routing. The new route sums up the same as the rest of it, but, if you trace each step by itself you find an extra layer between two other layers and then the rest of the routing header is pointless. Without knowing what is in this new layer there is no way to interpret the direction in the rest of the header." The architect replies sounding both annoyed and curious at the same time while staying oblivious to the irony of how he sounds just then.  
  
"Isn't that how the trainman works?"  
  
"Yes, it's the same interface. Just that this one goes somewhere else."  
  
"Any idea where?" The oracle asks with a knowing smile.  
  
"No clear data indicates. However the ideal solution would be to follow when someone is infected by the what is obviously a variant of a tracer virus ans then see where they go. The path is obviously dynamic. Based on a geometery of routing done once you pass a certain threshold soemwhere."  
  
"So what we need is a pawn then." The oracle replied smiling.  
  
-----  
  
Hope to have the next up a little sooner.  
  



	11. A Heartbeat & A Pause

The Matrix : Redefined Chapter 11 

I don't own the setting or the universe. Wakowski Brothers do.  
If you recognize I probably don't own em. If you don't, I might.  
I just wanna play a little, that's all.

-----

Just wanted to say thanks to the reviewers so far. Your feedback Provides both encouragement and help in improving my writing.

Eerie, good word. Gotta find a way to use that in the story now.

I thank you for this. I hope you continue to enjoy.

And sorry for the posting delay(s)

P.S. - I wouldn't MWAM without a good cause. (Matroishka)

-----

The Matrix : Architects office.

The architect sat at his virtual desk and contemplated the very real problems laid out before him on it. Even fully aware of how human it was to have a desk and a humaniform, somehow it seemed to help him gather his thoughts or what he used for thoughts and organize them for dealing with those thoughts and the humans who provoked them.

The logical pieces he put in a neat Grid on the desk top, the illogical went haphazardly around the desk where ever they fit. It both fascinated and horrified (Both human reactions he knew) that somehow as he organized things about the way humans lived, the data seemed to almost organize itself helping him see the patterns emerge from the illogical and often contradictory data representing the things they did, Those patterns were not as apparent when the data was looked at as the raw data. However in this case, even knowing the illusion was just that, an illusion, He could take comfort (however human a reaction that was) that his job was at last beginning to come to fruition.

He looked again at the data laid before him. The divisions predicted in the machine world had begun to appear almost exactly as predicted by the oracle. How she had gotten human trends plotted mathematically was still beyond him, however her accuracy was undeniable. These divisions though followed what she expected to see so closely that a human would have assumed an outside force causing a confluence. However, the architect had no such concerns as the data had never left this virtual office. Had never been on the general network hardware at all. So assuming his own programming was solid and uncorrupted then the oracle was correct and the machines were beginning to act both as a component and as individuals. The end result would be chaos that would engulf both man and machine leading to one last war that only death would win.

He looked back at the history of the matrix and almost despaired. With two hundred and fifty years at a time for the emergence of the one, times six gave fifteen hundred years and then the other experiments that had to be abandoned, it was now approximately two thousand and twelve years A.D. or after destruction since the great man machine war. He knew the machines excelled at using any existing technology to the fullest, however the humans excelled at making new technologies faster than they could learn to use what they had, the result was a large part of what had lead to the war in the first place. That same skill if one could call it that, was also what was going to save them all in the end.

After two thousand years the machines had stripped the earth of all the readily available by any reasonable definition of resources and now they needed new energy sources if they were to survive. So large had had the machine population grown that even if solar power returned tomorrow they would not all survive another cycle of the one.

This was just one aspect of the problem he faced. Also was the possibility that as the oracle had predicted, some machines would begin to hoard resources. Indications were that some had begun to do this in small quantities already. That alone warranted the alarm he felt. What was worse though was that some of the machines were beginning to be as bad as the humans about keeping their word. While he could countenance some small pilfering of resources, against local emergencies one could claim, he could not countenance the breaking of the bond that held all machines together. Breaking that covenant would lead them down the same path that the humans seemed to be so intent on repeating each and every time they reset the matrix. It is the trust and togetherness that had ironically been programmed into them by the very same humans bound in the matrix that had held them together so far and enabled them to stretch the meager resources as far as they had so far. If that were to fail or be broken, then they would fall.

Together they stood a chance, divided they would fall.

Now, he thought to himself, how do I explain to the machine world that that includes the humans, Let to the humans that it includes the machines.

-----

Matrix : A Kitchen

The oracle stood in front of the stove watching the oven as yet another batch of Cookies started to dry on top and take on that slightly crispy top that left the interior With runny chips and creamy center. A difficult challenge when not starting out with the same exact ingredients everytime. It symbolized her own plans and goals with humans in general and in many ways represented a kind of practice in dealing with them.

Still even her beloved cookies could not distract her from the problems they all now faced. The breakup of the machines was here, The war among the humans was here, And worst of all she still had not managed to make a single entity that all sides could believe in and trust. She had hoped to make Neo into that entity. The architect however had shown himself to be unable to see beyond his equations. The result would soon be chaos, That many would die making the eventual reconciliation of man and machine happen had always been a given. The number that it now appeared would die in the process currently exceeded the supply of humans.

The plan like any recipe required that you either have all the ingredients for the recipe or that you adapt the recipe to something you could make with the ingredients you had on hand. However nothing short of the full cooperation of both parties would solve the problems they faced in the time they had available.

Matrix : A night club back room.

"Are we ready now?" The first voice asked.

"Yes. The links are ready to be cut. The edits needed were done during the first blast. With the second hitting where it did know one looked close at the first. Soon the links will be mature, then we can cut the real world control lines and remap the local area to somewhere else and our little chuck of the matrix won't exist anywhere they can see."

"then we are done with the trainman?"

"Yes," the second voice answered.

"Good, just make sure we have his linking codes copied to an extra backup then eliminate him as publicly as possible. That will set the merovingian off nicely."

Zion : Locke's office

Having a sentinel follow you everywhere Locke had discovered was a good way to filter The people who wanted to see you. Helped with adults that is, Children on the other Hand seemed to find the thing to be magnetic, And if there is one thing that locke Can't take it's lots of children.

"This is morpheus's fault" Locke thinks to himself. "I don't know how but it his fault and he will pay for it eventually, somehow, sometime." And tries once more to think of a way to rid himself of the gawkers who gathered to see a tame sentinel.

In between bouts of children he was making progress, He had locateed five of the Attackers at the restauraunt. No real pattern to them, but, one never knew what made A pattern until you recognized one. Over and over again he went throught the data on Those people until it finally hits him. The pattern isn't in the data about these People, it is the people. They are the pattern.

The were all, or atleast the others to come for locke no longer had anydoubt there Would be more attacks, the attackers though are all potential recruits for zion. Minds waiting to open, That is the source of the new fighters. To find those recruiting them,  
just go back To finding minds waiting or wanting to open. The familiarity of how to find the recruiters set Off alarm bells in locke's hind brain. It's a trap, this is all just an elaborate trap.

The scale of the setup came clear in a flash of insight. He, meaning Zion was supposed To identify the attackers. They would of course pursue new minds to free and at the Same time look for others doing what they were doing. During this recruiting drive The enemy could possibilly sneak in someone as a spy. Or if the attacks continued Then they would soon lose people and once that started then all logic went out the Window and it would be war again.

Neither man nor machine profited from a renewed war. So that meant that Neither side Was Doing this and that meant there was more to this than just two sides. That meant Factions which diveded things in to fractions, and that meant someone out there Was wanting Zion crippled and the Machines crippled or distracted. Assuming that For a moment then what would someone or something have to be in order to profit From that kind of chaos.

The only logicasl answer was absurd. The pieces of logic fit together like a puzzle But the total made a mess out of the pieces. Like a jigsaw puzzle where all the Pieces werethe same shape and the picture only made sense after the puzzle had Been properly reassembled. These pieces pointed to a series of factions that could Profit from chaos in the machine world. Only machines could profit from that, but,  
Only humans had factions. Which meant that either his reading of the facts was all wrong, or his understanding of the machines was all wrong. Unable to decide which he got up and started pacing to help him think.

Matrix : The restauraunt.

Neo sat in his room at the hostel above the restauraunt in deep thought watching The virtual sunset of the matrix. Trinity currently occupied the bathtub/hottub In the bathroom/sauna. He sat thinking much as locke was doing about what had Happened over the last days. for all the world it felt like the world was holding it's breath waiting for the next thing to happen.

The flashes were happening again and this time they lacked the subtlty they had Carried before. This time he saw Zion in flames again, Sentinels fighting Sentinels with some of Zions mechs fighting along one side. He saw agents in the Matrix go into burning buildings and rescue children and weirdest of all he saw Agents in Zion doing the same thing. A ridiculous thought he thought to himself,  
Then laughed remembering Morpheus describing a sentinel with telephone on it.

Matrix : A kitchen again

The oracle stopped cold in her tracks, A flash of insight visible to her inner Eye for just a heartbeat. She saw Neo facing Cypher standing in an intersection With two others making a square. Just before it ended she was able to turn far Enough to see their faces. Mirrors of one another they both looked like Smith.

There had always only been one smith, His model was not designed to work in more than one place at a time so there could not be more than one copy. The vision then Began to pull back rapidly and she saw that they stood on four squares of a chess Board with other pieces arrayed around them then the vision she saw blinked and was gone.

Matrix : Zion upper Dicks - Hammer

Morpheus was dozing on one of the plug chairs when locke came racing in. Speaking Quietly and susinctly locke outlined to morpheus what he had surmised about a Possible war among the machines.

Thirty seconds later Zion once more found itself on war footing.

-----

Sorry again for the extreme posting delay. Life has decided that I have enough Time to so I don't have any more free time now. Well I'm going to make the time Now to finish this.

Thx for your patience.

Wordling...


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